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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — to go on
  3. rash — hasty
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stem — to come from
  15. drill — a practice
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — finally
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stem — a stem cell

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