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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stock — shares
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bore — to drill
  15. band — a music group
  16. bore — to tire
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — a container
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. band — a ring
  22. bank — for money
  23. stock — goods
  24. spring — the season

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