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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. squash — the sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. net — for catching
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. net — in sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. net — after costs

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