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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: ruler · hand · prune · leaves · sharp · spring · scale · toast

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. toast — bread
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. spring — the season
  10. scale — size or range
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. scale — in music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — a coil
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — help
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ruler — for measuring

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