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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · staff · kid · prune · jam · squash · patient · land

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. kid — to tease
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. land — a country
  9. staff — a stick
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — child
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — to rob
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. squash — to crush
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. prune — to trim

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