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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
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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: file · prune · hand · bowl · stick · ball · straw · content

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. hand — in cards
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. file — a line of people
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bowl — a football final

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