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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: wake · mark · rule · prune · file · fan · bulb · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. file — a document
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rule — a law
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rule — government
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. file — a line of people
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — to cool the air

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