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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: roll · net · squash · fall · prune · object · rush · tear

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fall — the season
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. prune — to trim
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rush — hurry
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. object — a thing
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — to drop
  19. object — an aim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — to crush
  22. roll — a cake
  23. tear — from crying
  24. roll — a list

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