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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: last · stick · net · prune · lash · squash · press · cap

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — after costs
  7. press — to push
  8. squash — to crush
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — to go on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cap — of ice
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — an eyelash

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