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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: rest · rash · sharp · tube · prune · jam · squash · lash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rash — a series
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rest — a break
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. squash — to crush
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rash — hasty
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rest — what's left

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