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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: pitcher · roll · season · prune · squash · rash · spell · lash

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. roll — a list
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. roll — a cake
  8. season — in sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. spell — letters
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — a series
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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