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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: row · wake · arm · bark · spring · rush · rash · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. squash — to crush
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — of water
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. arm — part of the body

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