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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: straw · date · nail · present · craft · chest · prune · file

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. file — a line of people
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. date — the fruit
  12. present — there
  13. chest — a box
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. craft — a skill
  16. file — a tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. craft — boats
  21. file — a document
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  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