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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: ground · nail · stand · kick · bat · craft · tear · prune

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. craft — a skill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — the animal
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. kick — in football
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. nail — on a finger

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