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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. object — a thing
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ground — crushed
  10. squash — to crush
  11. foot — a measure
  12. kid — child
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kid — to tease
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ground — a position
  19. game — a match
  20. object — an aim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — in a road
  24. object — to protest

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