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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.

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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 · race · bulb · prune · drill · club · rest · bank

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rest — a break
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — a contest
  11. club — a group
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. club — for golf
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. file — a tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. club — for dancing
  24. drill — army training

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