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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — obliged
  3. object — a thing
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. field — farmland
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — child
  17. object — an aim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — the cause
  21. bound — certain
  22. chip — for betting
  23. field — a subject
  24. root — of a word

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