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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pass — a permit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — final
  11. wake — a trail
  12. file — a document
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. file — a tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — a series
  24. fork — to eat with

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