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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: hide · bank · prune · rash · wound · saw · perch · hand

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bank — of a river
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — a series
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bank — for money
  16. hand — help
  17. wound — an injury
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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