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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. mate — a friend
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — for sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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