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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stem — to come from
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ball — a great time
  7. squash — the sport
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. squash — to crush
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. clip — for paper
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ball — a dance

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