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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: kid · squash · foot · swing · prune · chest · leaves · last

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. last — final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. swing — to play on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. swing — music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. last — to go on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. prune — to trim
  16. foot — a measure
  17. last — finally
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chest — of your body
  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