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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 116 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: march · sharp · file · prune · last · deal · current · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. current — electric
  6. prune — to trim
  7. current — happening now
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. file — a tool
  13. current — of water
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. file — a document
  23. staff — a stick
  24. march — music

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