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

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tube — the underground
  21. squash — to crush
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — a container

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