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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. file — a line of people
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — child
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pound — to hit hard

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