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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: prune · spell · rash · file · bat · net · firm · stick

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — letters
  4. firm — decided
  5. net — in sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — a short time
  11. firm — a company
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. file — a tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — for catching
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — a series
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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