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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 116 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: snap · fall · prune · squash · fine · mouse · spring · pit

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — all right
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fall — the season
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pit — in a race

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