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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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468
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: fork · scale · file · drill · stem · prune · bear · nail

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — army training
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bear — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. drill — a practice
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — in a road
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. scale — in music

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