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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. plane — a tool
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. craft — boats
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bass — low music
  10. craft — a skill
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — child
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — the fish
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. craft — a handicraft

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