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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: mine · board · prune · dip · content · bore · rash · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to drill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. content — the amount
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. board — to get on
  17. rash — hasty
  18. content — happy
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. last — finally
  22. board — a committee
  23. mine — for digging
  24. last — to go on

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