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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · sharp · key · last · club · prune · lean · wind

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lean — to bend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — for dancing
  11. key — in music
  12. last — to go on
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. key — the most important part
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — thin
  17. last — finally
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — a group
  24. lean — to rest against

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