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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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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: pop · drill · bear · stick · last · prune · squash · current

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — final
  7. drill — the tool
  8. current — of water
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — a practice
  11. last — to go on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pop — soda
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. last — finally
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — the animal
  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