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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stock — shares
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spring — the season
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — happy
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. squash — to crush
  16. charge — a price
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. charge — in control
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. vault — a safe
  23. content — the amount
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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