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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: rule · file · prune · perch · current · tear · bat · pitch

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bat — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. tear — from crying
  11. current — happening now
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. current — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rule — government
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rule — a law

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