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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · prune · shower · fan · scale · squash · cabinet · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. scale — in music
  11. rock — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mug — to rob
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rock — a stone
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. prune — to trim

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