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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.

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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: squash · charge · tube · prune · mate · hand · cabinet · swing

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. swing — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — help
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mate — to breed
  13. charge — electricity
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — a container
  18. squash — the sport
  19. swing — in golf
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. swing — to play on
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. tube — in a tire

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