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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. can — to be able to
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a ring
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. squash — to crush
  9. root — of a word
  10. can — a tin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — the most important part
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a music group
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. root — the cause
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. key — for a lock
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. root — of a plant

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