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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · bark · wound · firm · leaves · squash · date · saw

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — steady
  6. squash — to crush
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mug — to rob
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. firm — decided
  19. mug — a cup
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com