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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. drill — army training
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a music group
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. squash — to crush
  11. drill — a practice
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fine — all right
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — to sink
  19. drill — the tool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. wake — a trail
  23. shower — rain
  24. prune — to trim

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