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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · current · bank · rest · prune · file · club · sharp

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — a break
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bank — for money
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bank — for money
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. current — electric
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a tool
  23. object — an aim
  24. rest — what's left

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