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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: squash · bulb · leaves · snap · hide · date · straw · safe

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bulb — for light
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. snap — to click
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. date — the fruit
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. squash — the sport

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