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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kid · prune · wave · nail · dip · drill · hand

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. kid — child
  3. net — for catching
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — the tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. drill — army training
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — help
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. kid — to tease
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — in cards
  23. net — after costs
  24. dip — to sink

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