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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: snap · scale · deal · last · lean · tube · squash · pop

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lean — to bend
  5. scale — in music
  6. pop — music
  7. last — finally
  8. deal — to handle
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. squash — the sport
  13. snap — to click
  14. lean — thin
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. last — to go on
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. last — final
  21. scale — size or range
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pop — soda

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