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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pass — a permit
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. field — farmland
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. swing — music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. field — for sport
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chair — a leader
  22. field — a subject
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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