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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
468
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: cell · rash · sharp · band · prune · cabinet · rush · fan

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rash — hasty
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a music group

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