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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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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: trunk · cue · squash · prune · stick · cold · charge · bay

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — a hint
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. squash — to crush
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. charge — in control
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cue — for pool
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. trunk — of a tree

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