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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: wake · stick · prune · squash · key · fall · ground · rock

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — the earth
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — a position
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rock — a stone
  13. key — in music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wake — a trail

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