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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: prune · squash · march · rule · clip · foot · pop · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pop — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — to visit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rule — a law
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rule — government
  16. clip — for paper
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — soda
  19. march — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. foot — a measure
  22. march — the month
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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