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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: sharp · squash · pound · file · row · craft · rest · prune

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rest — what's left
  7. file — a document
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pound — a weight
  12. file — a tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rest — a break
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. squash — the sport
  23. craft — boats
  24. rest — what's left

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