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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: lie · racket · leaves · can · wake · spring · squash · date

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wake — a trail
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spring — of water
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — a coil
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. racket — for tennis

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