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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: nail · prune · race · firm · ground · board · row · bore

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ground — a position
  9. board — to get on
  10. firm — a company
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — to tire
  14. row — a line
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bore — to drill
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. firm — steady
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. race — a contest
  24. row — to paddle

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