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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · pass · fan · mate · fall · bound · squash · perch

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mate — a friend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bound — certain

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