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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: saw · nail · prune · bore · bowl · track · stock · bat

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stock — goods
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. track — a song
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stock — shares
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — a path
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bat — the animal

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