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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: march · rock · spell · squash · kid · saw · bass · roll

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bass — low music
  3. kid — child
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — the fish
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kid — to tease
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. march — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — the month
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. roll — a list
  19. spell — magic
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spell — letters

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