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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. squash — to crush
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. present — the time now
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. squash — the sport
  12. last — finally
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. ball — a great time
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ball — a dance

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