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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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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: prune · bore · roll · lash · pass · hand · file · saw

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. prune — to trim
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. roll — a list
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. file — a tool
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. hand — help
  23. bore — to tire
  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