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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pound — a weight
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. present — the time now
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — to recline
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kid — child
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kid — to tease
  15. present — a gift
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. present — there
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lie — an untruth

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