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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. current — of water
  3. hand — help
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — happening now
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. current — electric
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hand — in cards
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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