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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: ball · snap · drill · trunk · nail · prune · patient · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. game — a match
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. drill — army training
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ball — a great time
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. snap — to click

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