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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. club — a group
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bank — for money
  18. club — for golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. club — for dancing

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