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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: pitcher · face · safe · saw · prune · nail · land · deal

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. prune — to trim
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — to come down
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — to confront
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — a country
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. prune — the fruit

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