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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: cue · chest · squash · bulb · prune · bat · rash · toast

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cue — for pool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — the animal
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. toast — bread
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — a series
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chest — a box
  24. bulb — for light

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