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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: racket · fall · spring · stick · pop · straw · calf · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. spring — the season
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pop — soda
  10. fall — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. pop — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. squash — to crush
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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