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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 · calf · rush · last · file · prune · cue · capital

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. last — to go on
  7. file — a tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a line of people
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. file — a document
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. last — final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. capital — a city
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cue — a signal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. nail — on a finger

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