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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: prune · mark · tear · bowl · file · racket · club · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. file — a tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — from crying
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fine — all right
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. mark — a grade
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. file — a document
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tear — to rip

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