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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: file · game · rock · stick · prune · snap · stem · squash

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stem — to come from
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. snap — to click
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. squash — the sport
  18. game — a match
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. game — wild animals
  21. file — a tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. file — a document

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