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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. drill — army training
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — a practice
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — for betting
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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