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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rock — music
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bank — for money
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cell — a phone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bank — of a river
  24. suit — to fit

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