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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · staff · present · saw · rest · drill · bat · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. present — a gift
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — the animal
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. staff — employees
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — there
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rest — a break
  22. rash — hasty
  23. staff — a stick
  24. present — the time now

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