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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · prune · foot · band · saw · file · dip · cell

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a line of people
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. file — a tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a ring
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. can — a tin
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. foot — a measure
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a document
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. band — a music group

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