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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. squash — the sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. roll — a list
  23. wound — an injury
  24. date — the fruit

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