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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: hand · bound · chair · land · prune · spell · toast · squash

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spell — a short time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spell — letters
  13. toast — bread
  14. bound — obliged
  15. spell — magic
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. land — a country
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. hand — help
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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