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

Word bank: season · bound · squash · key · object · prune · stick · staff

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — certain
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — tied together
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — in music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — in sport
  10. key — for a lock
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — employees
  13. object — an aim
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — to crush
  16. key — the most important part
  17. object — to protest
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bound — obliged
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — the vegetable

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