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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: pass · rush · prune · last · field · file · racket · squash

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — a permit
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. field — a subject
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. last — final
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. last — to go on

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