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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ground — a position
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — a group
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. squash — to crush
  17. club — for golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. craft — boats

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