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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: bowl · sharp · bank · prune · hand · perch · staff · cabinet

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hand — in cards
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bank — of a river
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — employees
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — help
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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