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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 120 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: root · squash · kid · ball · object · bat · pound · mine

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. object — a thing
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. root — of a plant
  8. ball — a great time
  9. root — the cause
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. squash — to crush
  15. object — to protest
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. kid — child
  22. root — of a word
  23. bat — the animal
  24. object — an aim

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