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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. lean — thin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a skill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — army training
  11. shower — rain
  12. craft — boats
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — to cut
  15. drill — the tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mark — a trace
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — a video
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — a practice

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