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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 120 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: straw · scale · kick · fan · root · last · prune · file

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kick — in football
  3. file — a document
  4. last — finally
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a tool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. last — to go on
  21. root — the cause
  22. last — final
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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