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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cold — not warm
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a tool
  8. cold — an illness
  9. band — a music group
  10. club — for golf
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a line of people
  13. club — for dancing
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. club — a group
  24. rash — a series

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