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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: season · rock · prune · drill · firm · lash · charge · squash

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — of the year
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — in sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. firm — decided
  13. squash — the sport
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. firm — a company
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. charge — in control
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. charge — a price
  22. drill — army training
  23. firm — steady
  24. drill — the tool

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