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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 116 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: dip · craft · spell · mine · rash · stand · squash · wound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. craft — boats
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. dip — to sink
  11. spell — magic
  12. squash — the sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stand — to bear
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spell — letters
  24. dip — to dunk

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