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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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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: fan · squash · foot · prune · rush · ground · kid · firm

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. firm — a company
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — hurry
  18. firm — steady
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kid — child
  24. firm — decided

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