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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rock — a stone
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — music
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bound — certain
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bowl — a football final

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