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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spell — a short time
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — letters
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — of the year
  12. roll — a list
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — a cake
  20. spell — magic
  21. squash — to crush
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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