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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.

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: roll · squash · toast · bass · chest · prune · rash · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. toast — bread
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. squash — the sport
  16. chest — a box
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rash — a series
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bass — the fish

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