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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.

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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: firm · cold · bank · foot · squash · charge · pop · lean

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lean — thin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. firm — decided
  7. charge — a price
  8. firm — steady
  9. pop — music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bank — for money
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cold — an illness
  15. foot — a measure
  16. charge — electricity
  17. lean — to bend
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pop — soda
  21. charge — in control
  22. bank — for money
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. firm — a company

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