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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: file · cell · rash · prune · mouse · fine · rest · chest

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chest — of your body
  5. file — a document
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fine — all right
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chest — a box
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cell — in biology
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — a series
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. file — a tool
  23. rest — a break
  24. mouse — the animal

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