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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: nail · bass · rush · prune · last · ground · lean · cell

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. last — to go on
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — final
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. last — finally
  20. cell — a phone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — low music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — a position

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