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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pop — soda
  11. band — a ring
  12. club — for dancing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cue — a signal
  20. club — a group
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pop — to visit
  23. kick — in football
  24. band — a music group

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