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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. spring — of water
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. march — music
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — the season
  10. field — farmland
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. field — for sport
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bass — the fish
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — a subject
  23. kick — in football
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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