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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: pass · cold · saw · squash · prune · toast · present · lash

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. squash — to crush
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — there
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. squash — the sport
  24. present — the time now

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