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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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Word bank
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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: nail · prune · bowl · face · file · shower · mine · lean

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. face — to point toward
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a document
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lean — to bend
  9. shower — to wash
  10. file — a tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. face — to confront
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — thin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. file — a line of people

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