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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: prune · arm · nail · pass · scale · coach · last · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. scale — size or range
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — a permit
  7. last — final
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mine — for digging
  11. last — finally
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. scale — in music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — to go on
  24. arm — part of the body

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