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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 · leaves · staff · wound · bank · charge · prune · squash

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bank — for money
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bank — for money
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rash — hasty
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rash — a series

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