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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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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: prune · object · fan · squash · mark · pitcher · tear · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — a trace
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lean — to bend
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — from crying
  18. object — a thing
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fan — a supporter

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