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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: prune · wave · fall · squash · kick · season · saw · deal

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. season — in sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — the sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — to crush
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. season — of the year
  19. fall — the season
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kick — in football
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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