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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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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pop — music
  7. file — a document
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. file — a line of people
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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