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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
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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: mine · mug · trunk · rush · chest · row · cabinet · pop

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mine — for digging
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pop — soda
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chest — a box
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — a line
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mug — to rob
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mug — a face
  24. rush — a thrill

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