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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — certain
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — the month
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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