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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 · sharp · scale · file · lean · rock · stand · chest

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a document
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — a box
  19. rock — music
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chest — of your body
  22. scale — in music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lean — thin

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