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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: march · rush · net · squash · prune · fan · perch · fall

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. march — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — the season
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fall — to drop
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. perch — the fish

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