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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: bore · squash · mine · rash · bound · spell · wake · pop

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bound — certain
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pop — music
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spell — magic
  12. wake — a trail
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rash — a series
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bore — gave birth

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