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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. swing — to play on
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. fall — the season
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. swing — in golf
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. squash — the sport
  16. craft — boats
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — to crush
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spell — a short time
  24. trunk — of a tree

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