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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: lean · shower · nail · toast · rock · band · prune · bark

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lean — thin
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rock — music
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. toast — bread
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. shower — rain
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. rock — a stone

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