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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: straw · rule · chest · mine · rock · mouse · fan · prune

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rule — a law
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rock — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rule — government
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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