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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · toast · pitcher · bore · mouse · cold · prune · saw

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. saw — the tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bore — to tire
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. toast — bread

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