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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — the sport
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rush — hurry
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tube — the underground
  17. root — the cause
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. root — of a word
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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