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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: wound · stick · season · chair · squash · mark · prune · land

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. season — in sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — ground
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. season — of the year
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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