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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a tool
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — after costs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. file — a document
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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