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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.

Make a worksheet

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: squash · prune · march · date · hide · straw · firm · staff

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. date — the fruit
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. march — the month
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. squash — the sport
  13. firm — steady
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — decided
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — to crush
  18. firm — a company
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. march — music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. prune — to trim

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