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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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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: wound · leaves · squash · chest · net · firm · prune · ruler

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — to crush
  3. firm — steady
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. firm — decided
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. firm — a company
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — after costs

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