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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · ground · foot · clip · squash · swing · rest · stem

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — a position
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. clip — a video
  14. rest — what's left
  15. swing — to play on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rest — a break
  20. clip — for paper
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ground — the earth

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