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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: file · squash · cold · wave · spell · mate · bulb · toast

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. toast — bread
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mate — a partner
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mate — a friend

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