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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: fork · file · bowl · prune · shower · squash · racket · mug

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mug — a face
  16. file — a tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. shower — rain
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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