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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. present — the time now
  8. file — a document
  9. pound — a weight
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — a coil
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rest — a break
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — of water
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. present — a gift
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. present — there
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — the season

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