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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: prune · can · wound · bay · sharp · ground · nail · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wound — an injury
  3. can — a tin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — a tin
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spell — magic
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ground — a position
  24. bay — a horse colour

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