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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 116 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: rash · bank · wave · cell · prune · kid · fine · file

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — for money
  3. fine — all right
  4. file — a document
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cell — a phone
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bank — for money
  17. rash — a series
  18. file — a tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cell — in biology
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kid — child
  24. wave — with your hand

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