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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — electric
  4. cue — a hint
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cue — a signal
  7. current — of water
  8. bore — to drill
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — for pool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. season — in sport
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cold — not warm
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — the cause

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