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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: trunk · squash · roll · tear · can · season · rule · firm

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rule — a law
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. roll — a cake
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. squash — to crush
  12. firm — steady
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rule — government
  15. roll — a list
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tear — from crying
  18. firm — decided
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. season — in sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. firm — a company

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