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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 116 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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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: straw · kid · cold · can · rest · rush · prune · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — child
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. can — a tin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rest — a break
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fall — to drop
  24. prune — to trim

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