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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. shower — rain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. shower — to wash
  9. content — the amount
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. present — the time now
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. present — there
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. content — happy
  18. present — a gift
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. squash — the sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rush — hurry

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