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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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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: bore · prune · saw · lean · firm · chest · season · file

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — to bend
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. file — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. firm — steady
  10. saw — the tool
  11. firm — decided
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to drill
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bore — to tire
  18. firm — a company
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a document
  22. season — in sport
  23. chest — a box
  24. season — of the year

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