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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: land · lash · chair · prune · file · ruler · fine · snap

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. land — a country
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. land — ground
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. snap — to click
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fine — all right
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — to come down
  18. file — a tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. file — a document
  24. prune — to trim

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