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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 · cold · swing · tear · charge · pitcher · pop · lean

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — to rip
  9. swing — to play on
  10. squash — to crush
  11. swing — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. swing — in golf
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — in control
  18. lean — thin
  19. charge — a price
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — electricity
  24. cold — not warm

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