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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bank — of a river
  4. date — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — low music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. foot — a measure
  10. roll — a cake
  11. face — to point toward
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — a list
  14. bass — the fish
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. squash — the sport

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