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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 116 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: craft · squash · scale · game · prune · hand · staff · bass

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. game — a match
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — help
  10. bass — low music
  11. staff — employees
  12. craft — boats
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. game — wild animals
  19. scale — size or range
  20. staff — employees
  21. scale — in music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the sport
  24. craft — a handicraft

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