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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — a subject
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. land — to come down
  8. field — farmland
  9. fine — all right
  10. land — a country
  11. stem — to come from
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wax — to grow
  17. squash — the sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fine — high quality
  21. field — for sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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