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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.

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: bore · pitcher · file · wound · pit · clip · coach · prune

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. wound — an injury
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — for paper
  13. prune — to trim
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bore — to tire
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pit — a hole
  20. prune — to trim
  21. clip — a video
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. coach — a trainer

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