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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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 vegetable
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — from a university
  7. squash — the sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. degree — temperature
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. can — to be able to
  19. root — of a word
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — the cause
  22. can — a tin
  23. patient — a sick person
  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