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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 · cell · saw · mark · current · pitch · club

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. club — a group
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mark — a trace
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitch — completely
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — happening now
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. current — of water
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — electric
  20. club — for golf
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cell — in biology
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cell — a phone

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