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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: season · current · squash · rock · tear · pitcher · ground · tube

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — crushed
  7. current — of water
  8. rock — music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. season — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. season — of the year
  19. ground — the earth
  20. current — electric
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. current — happening now
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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