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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: lean · degree · snap · march · board · pit · prune · file

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. degree — from a university
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. march — the month
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pit — a hole
  10. file — a tool
  11. board — to get on
  12. file — a document
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. snap — to click
  15. march — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. prune — to trim
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. degree — temperature
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. board — a committee
  24. lean — to rest against

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