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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: chest · ruler · kid · spell · season · perch · squash · prune

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — in sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — a box
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — letters
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spell — magic
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. squash — to crush
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — child
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kid — to tease
  23. perch — the fish
  24. prune — the fruit

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