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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: bound · firm · prune · squash · pit · chair · mine · fan

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bound — certain
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. firm — a company
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fan — a supporter

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