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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 120 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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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: stem · kid · bank · mug · squash · leaves · snap · hide

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bank — for money
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bank — for money
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mug — a face
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stem — to come from
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mug — to rob

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