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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 · suit · sharp · bulb · cold · prune · nail · drill

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. file — a line of people
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — a practice
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cold — not warm
  15. drill — army training
  16. cold — an illness
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a document
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. file — a tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. suit — to fit

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