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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.

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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: tear · rush · content · charge · vault · squash · arm · perch

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. content — the amount
  5. vault — a safe
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. squash — to crush
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. charge — electricity
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. tear — to rip
  24. squash — the sport

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