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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: tube · straw · squash · bass · prune · band · lash · stick

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a music group
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bass — the fish
  8. squash — to crush
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bass — low music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. squash — the sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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