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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 · jam · mouse · nail · spring · last · bat

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — finally
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. last — to go on
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. last — final
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spring — the season
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spring — a coil
  20. squash — the sport
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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