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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · perch · lean · hand · rule · season · file · fork

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rule — a law
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — in sport
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rule — government
  19. lean — to bend
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — the fish

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