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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. deal — to handle
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. prune — to trim
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stem — to come from
  24. can — a tin

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