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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 120 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: deal · land · bore · mouse · squash · prune · tear · clip

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. clip — a video
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bore — to drill
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — to crush
  21. clip — for paper
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. deal — a big deal

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