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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 120 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 · racket · bore · stock · squash · craft · kid · last

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. last — final
  4. stock — goods
  5. prune — to trim
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. kid — child
  9. prune — to trim
  10. craft — a skill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bore — to tire
  18. craft — boats
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stock — shares
  24. bore — to drill

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