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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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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — shares
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stock — goods
  11. squash — the sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — for digging
  19. craft — a skill
  20. swing — to play on
  21. craft — boats
  22. swing — music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stem — to come from

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