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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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Word bank
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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: kid · squash · root · mark · pop · trunk · firm · drill

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — to visit
  7. root — of a word
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. root — the cause
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. squash — to crush
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pop — soda
  14. kid — child
  15. drill — army training
  16. root — of a plant
  17. drill — the tool
  18. firm — steady
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pop — music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mark — a grade

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