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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tube — a container
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ground — the earth
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — the tool

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