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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · file · firm · drill · deal · pitcher · kid · prune

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. drill — a practice
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. drill — army training
  8. firm — decided
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — child
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — a company
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. drill — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. file — a line of people
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. kid — to tease

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