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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: present · pitcher · tube · file · ground · prune · content · roll

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. file — a document
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — a container
  7. ground — crushed
  8. present — a gift
  9. tube — the underground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. content — the amount
  12. roll — a list
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — happy
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. file — a tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. present — the time now
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — a position
  23. present — there
  24. prune — the fruit

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