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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: scale · prune · file · bear · last · mug · date · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. wound — an injury
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — finally
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. scale — in music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mug — a face
  12. file — a tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. scale — size or range
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. date — on the calendar
  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