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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. swing — music
  8. last — to go on
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. last — final
  17. prune — to trim
  18. swing — in golf
  19. toast — bread
  20. fine — high quality
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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