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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. net — in sport
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. root — of a word
  15. net — after costs
  16. root — the cause
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fork — in a road
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — of a plant
  24. squash — to crush

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