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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mate — a friend
  10. track — a path
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stem — to come from
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. deal — to handle
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. craft — boats

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