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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 116 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: rule · racket · prune · wound · wind · tube · rock · rash

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rock — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rash — a series
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rock — a stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — a law

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