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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.

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: nail · tube · prune · stock · present · cell · file · cabinet

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cell — a phone
  8. file — a document
  9. stock — shares
  10. present — a gift
  11. cell — in biology
  12. present — there
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — a container
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. file — a tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a line of people
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. nail — for a hammer

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