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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: wound · dip · coach · file · fine · rule · stock · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — all right
  6. rule — a law
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — shares
  15. prune — to trim
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fine — high quality
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. file — a document
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to dunk

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