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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · deal · row · rest · rash · object · face · prune

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. row — to paddle
  3. face — to point toward
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rash — a series
  9. object — a thing
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. face — to confront
  13. row — a line
  14. prune — to trim
  15. object — to protest
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. object — an aim

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