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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: coach · pass · fan · degree · prune · nail · saw · file

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a line of people
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — temperature
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. degree — an amount
  19. file — a document
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a tool

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