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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. land — a country
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hand — in cards
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. squash — to crush
  11. game — a match
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — help
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. land — ground
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stem — to come from

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