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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 · shower · fine · bat · dip · roll · squash · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. prune — to trim
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. shower — rain
  5. squash — the sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — to crush
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. shower — to wash
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fine — all right
  22. roll — a list
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. dip — to sink

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