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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 · cabinet · mug · squash · prune · club · rush · wound

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. club — for golf
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. file — a tool
  21. mug — a face
  22. file — a document
  23. club — a group
  24. prune — the fruit

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