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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · fine · sharp · mark · row · nail · foot · swing

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — high quality
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fine — all right
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — to paddle
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. row — a line
  15. swing — in golf
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. foot — a measure
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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