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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 120 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 · pitcher · chair · suit · prune · lean · deal · file

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. file — a document
  6. march — the month
  7. suit — to fit
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. prune — the fruit
  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