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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: squash · fall · mug · kid · wind · bulb · track · stand

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — a song
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. track — a path
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mug — to rob
  17. kid — child
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mug — a face
  21. fall — the season
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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