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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. prune — to trim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — a trail
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. race — a contest
  22. squash — to crush
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. sharp — clever

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