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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — letters
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stock — shares
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spell — magic
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stock — goods
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. prune — the fruit

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