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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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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: wave · pound · clip · file · face · cabinet · prune · stand

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. file — a tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. file — a document
  17. clip — a video
  18. face — to point toward
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — to confront
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. face — part of the head

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