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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bore — to tire
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — the season
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. scale — in music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rock — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — to crush
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spring — of water
  24. wound — an injury

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