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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: last · current · pit · squash · plane · prune · perch · kid

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — final
  3. kid — child
  4. pit — a hole
  5. current — of water
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kid — to tease
  12. current — happening now
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — to go on
  15. perch — the fish
  16. current — electric
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. last — finally
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. perch — for a bird

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