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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spell — letters
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. can — a tin
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cue — a signal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cue — a hint
  22. can — a tin
  23. bowl — a football final
  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