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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — child
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — a line
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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