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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 120 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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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: hide · last · wake · squash · prune · bowl · chip · pound

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — finally
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pound — a weight
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. last — to go on
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. squash — to crush
  24. last — final

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