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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: root · pass · kid · fan · last · squash · cold · scale

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — finally
  4. cold — not warm
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — final
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. kid — to tease
  17. squash — to crush
  18. scale — in music
  19. last — to go on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — child
  24. squash — the sport

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