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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 120 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: cabinet · bound · prune · cold · rush · snap · club · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bound — certain
  9. club — for dancing
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — a group
  15. snap — to click
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — tied together
  21. object — a thing
  22. club — for golf
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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