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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: row · file · bass · last · object · leaves · mine · prune

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. object — an aim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. file — a line of people
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — final
  14. bass — low music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — to protest
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mine — for digging
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. object — a thing
  24. bass — the fish

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