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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — letters
  4. field — for sport
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. suit — to fit
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. suit — in cards
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. field — a subject
  19. suit — clothes
  20. field — farmland
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stem — to come from
  23. squash — the sport
  24. spell — magic

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