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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: hand · prune · drill · file · nail · fan · cell · jam

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — army training
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. drill — a practice
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — a phone
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cell — in biology
  13. file — a line of people
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — help
  20. file — a tool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. file — a document
  23. prune — to trim
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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