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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bear — the animal

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