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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: pound · shower · mug · prune · rule · cabinet · mark · land

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rule — a law
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. shower — rain
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — a face
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rule — government
  22. land — a country
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pound — for dogs

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