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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 116 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: cap · cue · field · saw · nail · face · prune · object

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — to point toward
  7. saw — the tool
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. face — part of the head
  11. field — for sport
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. face — to confront
  15. saw — the tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. field — farmland
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cue — a hint
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — a subject
  23. cue — a signal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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