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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: racket · ground · straw · file · prune · cabinet · nail · stock

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. prune — to trim
  16. file — a tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stock — goods
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. file — a line of people
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. nail — for a hammer

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