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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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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 · club · fan · snap · wave · prune · cabinet · pound

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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 — for a hammer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. club — for golf
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to click
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. club — a group
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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