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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: wind · net · tear · prune · nail · cue · coach · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cue — a hint
  12. object — to protest
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — after costs
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. net — for catching
  18. object — a thing
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cue — for pool
  24. net — in sport

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