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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: squash · band · snap · content · spell · bulb · rock · pit

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rock — music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. band — a music group
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. content — the amount
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — magic
  13. band — a ring
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. content — happy
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. band — a rubber band

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