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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — certain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stock — shares
  7. spring — of water
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bear — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stock — goods
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — the fish
  21. squash — to crush
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spring — the season
  24. bound — obliged

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