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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rash — hasty
  4. file — a line of people
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — in a race
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a document
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bound — certain
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. file — a tool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wax — to grow

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