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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: file · temple · prune · shower · pitch · fall · bank · bark

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a document
  11. bark — to shout
  12. prune — to trim
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — completely
  19. file — a tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fall — the season
  24. shower — rain

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