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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tear — to rip
  5. file — a tool
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bore — to tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a document
  18. bank — for money
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to drill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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