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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: jam · march · file · tear · prune · ruler · tube · content

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — the month
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. file — a document
  7. tear — from crying
  8. content — the amount
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a tool
  11. march — music
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. file — a line of people

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