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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 120 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: squash · prune · craft · hand · bowl · wind · temple · perch

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — boats
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. hand — in cards
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wind — moving air
  14. perch — the fish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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