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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. spring — the season
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rule — a law
  5. bank — of a river
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bank — for money
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. net — for catching
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — after costs
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. squash — to crush

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