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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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. can — to be able to
  4. ground — a position
  5. mate — to breed
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spring — of water
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — the earth
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — a tin

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