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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pound — a weight
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — to grow
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. net — for catching
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. net — after costs
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. net — in sport
  24. straw — dry grass

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