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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 · stock · drill · scale · file · bear · fan · plane

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a document
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — army training
  14. stock — goods
  15. drill — the tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. plane — a tool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. scale — in music
  24. drill — a practice

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