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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. tube — the underground
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. degree — from a university
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. squash — the sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. squash — to crush
  10. swing — music
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  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