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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: leaves · rest · last · straw · mouse · jam · cell · prune

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cell — in biology
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. prune — to trim
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. last — finally
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rest — a break
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. straw — a straw man

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