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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. file — a tool
  4. net — after costs
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — goods
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — a break
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bound — obliged
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tube — a container
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bound — certain
  24. stock — shares

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