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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 116 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: rush · game · drill · bark · prune · file · season · wave

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. prune — to trim
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. game — a match
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. drill — army training
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. season — of the year
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. drill — a practice
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bark — to shout
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. game — wild animals
  24. season — to add flavour

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