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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 · stock · degree · prune · pass · suit · spell · cold

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cold — not warm
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. degree — an amount
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. file — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — letters
  14. cold — an illness
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stock — goods
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stock — shares
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — from a university
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spell — magic

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