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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: snap · chest · squash · can · saw · foot · mine · safe

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chest — a box
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. saw — the tool
  9. foot — a measure
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. snap — to click
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — to crush
  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