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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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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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. net — for catching
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — finally
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rest — a break
  13. last — to go on
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. net — after costs
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — in sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — final
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. prune — to trim

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