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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. band — a music group
  3. stem — to come from
  4. craft — boats
  5. squash — the sport
  6. band — a ring
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. land — a country
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. land — to come down
  24. stem — of a plant

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