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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — for money
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pound — a weight
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. scale — in music
  21. bank — for money
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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