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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: dip · lean · mug · straw · squash · mouse · pitcher · spell

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mug — a cup
  15. lean — thin
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spell — magic
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — dry grass

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