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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — help
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — a sick person

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