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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: net · drill · game · prune · nail · spring · jam · bark

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bark — to shout
  3. game — a match
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. spring — of water
  7. drill — army training
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. net — after costs
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — for catching
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. net — in sport
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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