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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 120 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: squash · bark · tear · spell · season · bat · swing · foot

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — to play on
  5. foot — a measure
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spell — magic
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. swing — music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. season — in sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. swing — in golf
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. season — to add flavour

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