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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — for money
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bank — for money
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tube — a container
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mate — a partner

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