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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wake — a trail
  4. clip — to cut
  5. season — in sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. race — the arms race
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — a contest
  23. bore — to drill
  24. craft — a skill

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