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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. staff — employees
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lie — to recline
  6. board — a committee
  7. squash — the sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — child
  10. board — to get on
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — employees
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pop — soda
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. staff — a stick

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