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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — obliged
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — to crush
  5. band — a music group
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pop — soda
  8. firm — decided
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. band — a ring
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. firm — steady
  19. pop — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bound — certain
  24. racket — for tennis

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