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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: rash · dip · cabinet · squash · spell · nail · prune · degree

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — hasty
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — a series
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. spell — letters
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — a short time
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. degree — temperature

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