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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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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 · last · rash · field · hand · bat · rock · fall

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rock — a stone
  3. hand — help
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — for sport
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — to go on
  11. field — farmland
  12. fall — the season
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rock — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. last — final
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. prune — to trim

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