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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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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 · rule · wind · staff · row · roll · stem · prune

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wind — moving air
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. staff — a stick
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. roll — a list
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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