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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: rock · squash · foot · ground · snap · wound · toast · spell

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. toast — bread
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — a short time
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rock — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. snap — to click

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