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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 · bound · perch · sharp · prune · dip · stick · tear

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tear — to rip
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — the fish
  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