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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: file · prune · arm · stand · field · spring · bass · current

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — of water
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — for sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spring — the season
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. field — farmland
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bass — low music
  20. field — a subject
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — of water
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. file — a document

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