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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 · kid · bore · cabinet · date · prune · bear · hide

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bear — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — to tire
  5. kid — child
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kid — to tease
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. date — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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