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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: rest · squash · coach · board · straw · fan · prune · chair

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. board — a committee
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — to crush
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rest — what's left
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rest — a break
  24. coach — a trainer

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