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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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 — the vegetable
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. drill — army training
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — rain
  7. drill — the tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. kid — child
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — to crush
  14. shower — to wash
  15. toast — bread
  16. root — of a plant
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. root — of a word
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kid — to tease
  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