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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: mine · wound · squash · staff · pit · fall · stick · mouse

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pit — in a race
  12. squash — the sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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