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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: file · snap · squash · spring · toast · foot · rock · face

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — a measure
  3. file — a document
  4. squash — the sport
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rock — music
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spring — the season
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. face — to point toward
  18. toast — bread
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rock — a stone
  21. snap — to click
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. toast — the most admired

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