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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: squash · stick · prune · perch · degree · firm · ball · wound

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. firm — decided
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. firm — a company
  6. degree — from a university
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. firm — steady
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. squash — the sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a great time

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