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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: bulb · rest · prune · arm · bank · saw · rash · last

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. prune — to trim
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — a break
  15. bulb — for light
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rash — hasty
  24. arm — part of the body

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