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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 · band · rest · hand · leaves · kick · prune · wind

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — in football
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rash — a series
  5. rest — a break
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. band — a music group
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — hasty
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. band — a ring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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