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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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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: pound · file · tear · club · bat · rule · pass · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. file — a line of people
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. file — a tool
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. file — a document
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pass — a permit
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rule — government

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