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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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. cue — a hint
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cue — a signal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. squash — the sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cue — for pool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — a practice
  18. kick — in football
  19. drill — army training
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spring — of water
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — the season
  24. bulb — of a plant

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