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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: prune · staff · nail · roll · track · file · rule · rash

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rule — a law
  8. rash — a series
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — a path
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a tool
  16. rule — government
  17. roll — a cake
  18. track — a song
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a document
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. nail — on a finger

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