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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 · net · charge · prune · safe · snap · squash · tear

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. net — for catching
  7. squash — the sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. charge — electricity
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — in control
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. charge — a price
  18. net — after costs
  19. squash — to crush
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — in sport
  22. snap — to click
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — music

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