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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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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 · deal · roll · wind · prune · cell · arm · stick

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. prune — to trim
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cell — a phone
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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