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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. squash — the sport
  8. present — a gift
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. row — a line
  13. band — a ring
  14. row — to paddle
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — there
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. present — the time now
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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