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

Word bank: prune · tear · rock · nail · track · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — to crush
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rock — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — to rip
  13. track — a path
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a song
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tear — from crying

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