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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: wind · pitch · cold · last · can · squash · track · prune

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a song
  9. last — final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. track — a path
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. squash — the sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — to go on
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. can — a tin
  22. squash — to crush
  23. last — finally
  24. can — to be able to

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