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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: staff · prune · squash · pit · spell · mouse · trunk · rule

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rule — government
  5. squash — the sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rule — a law
  17. spell — magic
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pit — in a race

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