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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: wound · tear · season · prune · squash · lash · pop · spell

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pop — music
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — letters
  22. pop — to visit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — to rip

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