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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: rush · rash · saw · trunk · net · can · perch · squash

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. net — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — hurry
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. net — after costs
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — for catching
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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