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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. bank — for money
  8. ball — a dance
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — final
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bank — of a river
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — finally
  18. hand — help
  19. last — to go on
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bank — for money
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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