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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rush — hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. foot — a measure
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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