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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. prune — to trim
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rash — hasty
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — a song
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. file — a document
  9. track — a path
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rash — a series
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a line of people
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bound — obliged

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