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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 120 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: bore · plane · file · prune · bat · sharp · mug · foot

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. file — a document
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a line of people
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to tire
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mug — a cup
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. file — a tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mug — a face

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