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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: spring · prune · row · mate · arm · deal · rash · rush

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — to trim
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rash — hasty
  14. row — a line
  15. rash — a series
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spring — of water
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rush — hurry

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