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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: hide · prune · staff · ruler · file · shower · toast · field

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. field — for sport
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. staff — employees
  10. toast — bread
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. field — farmland
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a line of people
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. staff — employees
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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