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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — for money
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — hasty
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — final
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. last — to go on
  20. staff — employees
  21. prune — to trim
  22. toast — bread
  23. bank — of a river
  24. roll — a list

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