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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. stem — to come from
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wound — an injury
  16. suit — in cards
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. game — a match
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

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