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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. file — a document
  3. object — a thing
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. object — an aim
  6. file — a tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ground — crushed
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. drill — army training
  13. bore — to drill
  14. season — in sport
  15. bore — to tire
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — the earth
  18. drill — the tool
  19. object — to protest
  20. kid — child
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — a position

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