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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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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: scale · race · bear · prune · hide · pit · rush · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. race — humankind
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. scale — in music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. squash — to crush
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rush — to hurry

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