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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kid — to tease
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rock — music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — child
  7. root — of a word
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — to crush
  11. shower — rain
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. root — the cause
  16. rock — a stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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