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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: bear · sharp · squash · chip · hand · fall · pop · spring

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pop — soda
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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