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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ball · prune · last · snap · rest · rash · fan · mine

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — to go on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ball — a great time
  13. last — final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — a break
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a dance
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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