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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. can — a tin
  3. stem — to come from
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — employees
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — magic
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. can — to be able to
  17. squash — the sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spell — letters
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — to grow
  24. staff — a stick

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