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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: prune · wound · bank · cold · fan · sharp · craft · pit

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bank — for money
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cold — an illness
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. sharp — exactly

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