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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · wind · pop · mouse · clip · squash · season · scale

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. clip — for paper
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pop — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wind — moving air
  15. craft — a skill
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pop — soda
  20. scale — size or range
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mouse — for a computer

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