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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: squash · cold · rock · snap · nail · can · race · tube

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rock — a stone
  5. squash — to crush
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — not warm
  10. race — humankind
  11. snap — to click
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rock — music
  15. can — to be able to
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tube — a container
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. race — a contest
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. nail — for a hammer

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