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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: object · file · pitcher · rash · trunk · nail · content · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — a series
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. object — an aim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. content — happy
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. object — a thing
  13. rash — hasty
  14. object — to protest
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — the amount
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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