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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cell — in biology
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. squash — the sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — to crush
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — a supporter

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