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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: perch · squash · prune · wind · drill · wake · staff · mark

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. perch — the fish
  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