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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: hand · saw · mouse · present · rest · game · prune · nail

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — a break
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hand — help
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — in cards

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