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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.

Words on the sheet
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: saw · fall · content · date · squash · prune · mug · leaves

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. date — the fruit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mug — a face
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. content — happy
  23. fall — the season
  24. content — the amount

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