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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 120 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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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: squash · leaves · stem · prune · file · fall · wind · snap

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a document
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. file — a tool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. squash — to crush

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