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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 120 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: arm · bowl · prune · sharp · key · mine · drill · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — army training
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pound — a weight
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — for digging
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. key — in music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. key — for a lock
  24. arm — a part of something

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