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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: staff · pitcher · prune · kid · content · rule · squash · mouse

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — to tease
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — to trim
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kid — child
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — a law
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — the amount
  22. rule — government
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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