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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. chest — of your body
  8. staff — a stick
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — to recline
  13. staff — employees
  14. wound — an injury
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — to crush
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chest — a box
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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