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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: bear · prune · jam · stand · file · lean · sharp · rest

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rest — a break
  6. lean — thin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bear — the animal
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bear — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. prune — to trim
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bear — to put up with

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