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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: mug · kick · prune · cold · squash · shower · cabinet · lie

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — not warm
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lie — to recline
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. kick — in football
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cold — an illness
  14. prune — to trim
  15. shower — rain
  16. mug — a face
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. squash — the sport
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mug — a cup
  24. squash — the vegetable

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