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

Word bank: squash · rest · bear · prune · firm · racket · deal · band

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. band — a ring
  7. bear — the animal
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the sport
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. firm — a company
  12. bear — the animal
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rest — a break
  17. deal — to handle
  18. band — a music group
  19. rest — what's left
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — to crush
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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