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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: perch · squash · prune · ground · saw · rest · stand · wound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — the earth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — a break
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ground — crushed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. perch — for a bird

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