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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bore — to drill
  7. file — a document
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — to tire
  15. row — to paddle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a tool
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. file — a line of people
  21. row — a line
  22. prune — to trim
  23. object — an aim
  24. cap — a hat

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