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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: clip · nail · foot · temple · bore · racket · prune · swing

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bore — to drill
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. clip — to cut
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. swing — music
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — a measure
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. swing — to play on
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — in golf

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