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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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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: foot · wind · prune · key · toast · wake · squash · straw

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — for a lock
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — the most important part
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. prune — to trim
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. squash — the sport
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wake — a trail
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. key — in music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. toast — bread

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