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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 · squash · staff · court · wave · clip · wind · craft

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. squash — to crush
  7. clip — a video
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wind — moving air
  10. clip — to cut
  11. court — of law
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wind — moving air
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — of a king
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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