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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: spell · rush · pitcher · bay · prune · nail · leaves · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — magic
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spell — a short time
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spell — letters
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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