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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. branch — a division
  8. prune — to trim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rush — hurry
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cell — in biology
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. prune — to trim

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