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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 124 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — the sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. row — a line
  10. scale — size or range
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bass — low music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stem — to come from
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. row — a quarrel

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