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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: bark · foot · can · date · object · hand · squash · cold

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cold — not warm
  3. can — a tin
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hand — help
  6. can — a tin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. object — an aim
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — to shout
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hand — in cards
  19. object — to protest
  20. squash — to crush
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bark — of a tree

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