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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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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: saw · root · wake · cold · file · stand · squash · snap

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stand — to bear
  10. root — the cause
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. file — a tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. root — of a plant
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. root — of a word
  22. wake — a trail
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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