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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 116 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: last · prune · field · rest · pitcher · safe · content · ruler

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — happy
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rest — what's left
  11. field — a subject
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. field — farmland
  14. rest — a break
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — finally
  18. content — the amount
  19. field — for sport
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — final
  24. safe — out of danger

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