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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: file · prune · squash · deal · last · sharp · wake · stand

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. last — finally
  5. file — a document
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. file — a tool
  12. last — final
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. last — to go on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. squash — to crush
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stand — to bear
  22. file — a line of people
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. deal — an agreement

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