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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.

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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: row · pit · shower · safe · mouse · chair · prune · squash

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — rain
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pit — a hole
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. shower — to wash
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pit — in a race
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. row — a line
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — a quarrel

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