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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: perch · leaves · content · lean · ground · rule · drill · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lean — to bend
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — the amount
  9. ground — the earth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. content — happy
  12. ground — a position
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rule — government
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lean — thin
  19. drill — army training
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. squash — the vegetable

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