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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: rash · bay · drill · fan · prune · pitcher · fine · last

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rash — a series
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — hasty
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — final
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. drill — army training
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — to go on
  24. drill — the tool

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