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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: spell · straw · squash · row · swing · bear · roll · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. squash — to crush
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spell — letters
  5. roll — a cake
  6. swing — to play on
  7. row — to paddle
  8. roll — a list
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — a short time
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. spell — magic
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. swing — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — the animal

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