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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 · fan · spell · foot · capital · fall · saw · roll

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. roll — a list
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — a city
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — the tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spell — a short time
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fall — the season
  24. spell — magic

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