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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. object — a thing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. board — a committee
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a dance
  11. object — an aim
  12. wake — a trail
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. squash — to crush
  17. object — to protest
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ball — a great time
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. board — to get on

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