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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · last · rash · fine · rock · wound · wind · board

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a committee
  5. fine — high quality
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. board — to get on
  9. rock — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — all right
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rash — a series
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — to go on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rock — a stone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — an injury

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