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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — a thing
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bank — for money
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. toast — bread
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. object — to protest
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. file — a tool

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