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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 · saw · rush · fine · land · prune · pop · fan

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. land — ground
  9. fine — high quality
  10. land — to come down
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mug — a face
  14. land — a country
  15. rush — hurry
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — soda
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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