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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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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tube — a container
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — a video
  20. rest — a break
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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