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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wound — an injury
  11. content — happy
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. board — a committee
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. tube — a container
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — the amount
  21. squash — the sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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