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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — low music
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fall — the season
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — a series
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rash — hasty
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. foot — part of the body

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