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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chip — to eat
  4. root — of a word
  5. squash — the sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — to crush
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. can — to be able to
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. row — a line
  16. chip — for betting
  17. can — a tin
  18. root — the cause
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wound — an injury
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. plane — an aircraft

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