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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: fork · toast · bank · wound · spring · rash · fall · prune

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rash — a series
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spring — the season
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — a coil
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fall — the season
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bank — of a river
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — of water
  19. bank — for money
  20. fall — to drop
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. toast — the most admired

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