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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. squash — to crush
  4. root — the cause
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. craft — boats
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — of a plant
  11. swing — in golf
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. craft — a skill

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