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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: hide · season · prune · squash · row · safe · foot · wind

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wind — moving air
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — to crush
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. season — of the year
  10. row — a line
  11. season — in sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. row — to paddle
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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