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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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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: prune · hand · mine · stick · drill · lie · scale · tube

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hand — help
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. scale — size or range
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. lie — an untruth

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