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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · sharp · shower · fan · kid · prune · stick · content

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kid — child
  3. sharp — clever
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — the amount
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. shower — rain
  23. content — happy
  24. squash — to crush

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