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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. craft — boats
  4. bound — tied together
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. swing — music
  10. roll — a list
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. drill — the tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. squash — to crush
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. drill — army training
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. craft — a skill
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. swing — in golf

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