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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. scale — in music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. squash — to crush
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — to shout
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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