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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · squash · pop · date · wake · rash · spring · cabinet

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pop — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — of water
  12. rash — a series
  13. spring — the season
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pop — soda
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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