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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bore — to tire
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pound — a weight
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lie — to recline
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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