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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 · jam · leaves · land · roll · rest · lash · rash

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — a cake
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — ground
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rash — a series
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. land — a country
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. land — to come down

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