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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. root — of a word
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rock — music
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rest — a break
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rock — a stone
  23. kid — child
  24. rest — what's left

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