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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ground — a position
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. toast — bread
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. ground — crushed
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. drill — army training
  18. ground — the earth
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — the tool

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