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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: rash · bark · dip · field · lie · prune · file · mate

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — for sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. file — a tool
  9. dip — to sink
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — a subject
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rash — a series
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. file — a document

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