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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stem — to come from
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. file — a document
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. nail — for a hammer

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