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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. row — a line
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. squash — the sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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