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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: squash · rest · prune · snap · bank · fall · perch · nail

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bank — for money
  9. rest — a break
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rest — what's left
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to click
  19. bank — of a river
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bank — for money
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fall — the season

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