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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: bass · cell · wind · squash · wound · rush · root · coach

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — the cause
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cell — a phone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — low music
  20. root — of a word
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wound — an injury

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