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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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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: snap · race · squash · mug · pound · roll · bulb · trunk

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bulb — for light
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. race — humankind
  9. mug — a face
  10. snap — to click
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. race — a contest
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mug — a cup
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pound — a weight

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