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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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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: chair · file · object · cabinet · wake · snap · prune · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to click
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a document
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a tool
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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