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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — farmland
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. squash — the sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. bore — to drill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. object — a thing
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tube — a container
  18. stock — shares
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — a subject
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — to tire
  24. squash — the vegetable

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