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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: bank · bore · stand · wind · sharp · last · present · prune

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bank — of a river
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bank — for money
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — a gift
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — final
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bank — for money
  14. present — there
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. last — finally
  20. present — the time now
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. last — to go on
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stand — to bear

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