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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: prune · pop · dip · chair · trunk · nail · content · drill

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — army training
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. content — the amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — a practice
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. content — happy
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pop — soda
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pop — music
  24. dip — to sink

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