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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. staff — a stick
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. court — of law
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. shower — rain
  12. court — for sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. squash — the sport
  17. toast — bread
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wake — a trail
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — to come from
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — a tool

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