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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. squash — the sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. pop — soda
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — to crush
  15. band — a music group
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pop — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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