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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · last · ground · tube · bowl · rock · bear · squash

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. last — final
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rock — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — a position
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tube — in a tire

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