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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 · content · calf · saw · bank · last · prune · pop

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. file — a tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bank — for money
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a line of people
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pop — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. bank — for money
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a document

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