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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. firm — a company
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ground — a position
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — for digging
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. firm — decided
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mine — belonging to me

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