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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: bank · saw · mark · tube · present · file · prune · bowl

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — a gift
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — a container
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. file — a document
  16. bank — for money
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. file — a tool

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