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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: prune · rule · bay · content · stock · file · bore · mate

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. rule — a law
  2. bore — to tire
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. content — the amount
  7. prune — to trim
  8. content — happy
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mate — to breed
  16. file — a document
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — government
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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