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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: stick · squash · wound · prune · mug · bank · degree · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bank — of a river
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bank — for money
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — to crush
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mug — a face
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. craft — a skill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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