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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. spring — of water
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. band — a music group
  16. bear — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a leader
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a ring
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. leaves — lets stay

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