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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — a stone
  3. squash — to crush
  4. drill — army training
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rock — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. field — for sport
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wake — a trail
  21. drill — a practice
  22. kid — child
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. squash — the vegetable

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