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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stem — to come from
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pop — soda
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cell — in a prison

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