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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. can — to be able to
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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