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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.

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 · toast · can · tear · board · fall · bark · game

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fall — to drop
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. can — to be able to
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. board — to get on
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. bark — to shout
  15. toast — bread
  16. can — a tin
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fall — the season
  22. game — a match
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. toast — the most admired

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