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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: cap · row · date · track · staff · squash · prune · mouse

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — the sport
  3. track — a path
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — a line
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cap — of ice
  19. prune — to trim
  20. staff — a stick
  21. track — a song
  22. squash — to crush
  23. track — to keep track
  24. squash — the vegetable

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