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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chip — to eat
  4. net — for catching
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — a short time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. net — after costs
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — magic
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. net — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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