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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: tear · staff · nail · saw · prune · bowl · band · pitcher

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. staff — employees
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a ring
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. tear — from crying
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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