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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 116 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: prune · nail · hand · rush · degree · bass · sharp · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. prune — to trim
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. degree — from a university
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bass — low music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rush — hurry
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the fish
  18. degree — temperature
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. drill — a practice
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rush — a thrill

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