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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: pound · snap · trunk · object · squash · toast · game · ground

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. object — to protest
  8. squash — the sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. snap — to click
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. object — a thing
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. game — a match
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. squash — to crush
  23. object — an aim
  24. game — wild animals

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