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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: saw · prune · track · club · court · wind · wound · nail

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. court — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a path
  9. club — for dancing
  10. court — of a king
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — to keep track
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. court — of law
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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