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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: jam · squash · scale · deal · rash · spring · rush · hide

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rash — a series
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. deal — to handle
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. spring — of water
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spring — a coil
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. spring — the season
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — in music
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. jam — in traffic

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