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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: sharp · prune · cold · rock · rash · bank · wave · bound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rock — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bank — for money
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rash — a series
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bank — for money
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bound — certain
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rock — to move gently

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