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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: rush · sharp · deal · rest · prune · file · ground · mug

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rest — what's left
  4. prune — to trim
  5. file — a tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rest — a break
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rest — what's left
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. file — a document
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mug — a cup
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mug — a face
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. deal — to handle

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