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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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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: rest · bear · field · ball · tube · prune · club · rush

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rush — hurry
  6. club — for dancing
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rest — a break
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bear — the animal
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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