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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: swing · squash · chair · spell · wake · prune · lie · kid

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spell — letters
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kid — child
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. swing — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. swing — to play on

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