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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · bore · mine · prune · dip · object · wax · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bat — the animal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bore — to drill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — an aim
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mine — for digging
  14. object — a thing
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. object — to protest
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. file — a tool
  24. wax — to grow

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