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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — certain
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bound — tied together
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — of water
  15. squash — the sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. current — electric
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tear — from crying

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