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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 · prune · jam · deal · coach · last · fan · snap

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a tool
  5. last — final
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. snap — to click
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. file — a document
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. deal — an agreement

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