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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. drill — army training
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a music group
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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