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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tear — from crying
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — a line
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. squash — the sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kick — in football
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — moving air

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