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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 120 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 · prune · fall · race · pound · coach · lash · degree

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fall — to drop
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — to drop
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fall — the season
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pound — a weight
  24. race — humankind

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