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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: wind · pitcher · cabinet · roll · stand · snap · lie · squash

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. snap — to click
  3. lie — to recline
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. roll — a list
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stand — to bear
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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