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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 · shower · prune · fan · clip · ground · date · coach

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ground — a position
  4. clip — for paper
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — crushed
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — a video
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  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