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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stem — to come from
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. charge — a price
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bear — the animal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. charge — in control
  13. squash — to crush
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lean — thin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — electricity
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. scale — in music
  24. squash — the sport

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