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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: nail · board · fall · drill · rash · key · prune · spell

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — in music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — for a lock
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — the tool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — a practice
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. rash — a series
  18. fall — the season
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. board — a committee
  23. spell — a short time
  24. board — to get on

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