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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · perch · march · prune · row · leaves · spell · snap

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. march — music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. perch — the fish
  12. row — a line
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spell — magic
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — to paddle
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. squash — to crush
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to click

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