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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.

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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: last · bulb · prune · jam · plane · rush · chest · saw

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chest — of your body
  3. plane — a tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — a box
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — final
  10. saw — the tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rush — hurry
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. last — to go on
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — finally

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