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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: land · fan · bore · spell · squash · ball · stand · rest

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rest — a break
  4. land — ground
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — the sport
  9. land — a country
  10. spell — letters
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. spell — a short time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bore — to drill

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