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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: deal · season · wound · squash · cell · bark · cue · can

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. squash — the sport
  5. season — in sport
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cue — a signal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cue — a hint
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — a tin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. season — of the year
  18. can — a tin
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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