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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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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: file · shower · wake · prune · rule · ground · mug · suit

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rule — a law
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — a cup
  7. file — a line of people
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mug — to rob
  10. shower — rain
  11. mug — a face
  12. ground — a position
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rule — government
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. file — a document
  22. shower — to wash
  23. file — a tool
  24. suit — in cards

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