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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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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: rash · chest · cue · prune · deal · bound · bowl · cap

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cap — a hat
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chest — a box
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cue — for pool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chest — of your body

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