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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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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: rash · mate · racket · squash · bat · pound · prune · bound

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — a series
  10. bound — tied together
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mate — a friend
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bound — obliged
  24. squash — the sport

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