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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. tube — a container
  3. file — a document
  4. band — a ring
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bark — to shout
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — a publisher
  10. band — a music group
  11. press — to push
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. file — a line of people
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tube — the underground

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