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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bank — of a river
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rest — a break
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bank — for money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rush — hurry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mouse — the animal

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