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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: file · swing · rush · bound · fan · pitcher · kid · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a document
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. swing — to play on
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kid — child
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — obliged
  19. file — a line of people
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rush — hurry
  24. file — a tool

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