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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: march · saw · lean · prune · squash · suit · rash · snap

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. march — the month
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rash — hasty
  10. suit — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. suit — clothes
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to bend
  15. suit — to fit
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rash — a series
  22. snap — to click
  23. march — music
  24. lean — thin

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