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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
468
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: tear · land · fan · file · bass · prune · court · safe

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. land — to come down
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. file — a document
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of a king
  9. bass — low music
  10. file — a line of people
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tear — to rip
  15. court — for sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — ground
  23. file — a tool
  24. land — a country

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