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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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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: fan · nail · rest · prune · pit · pound · stem · bat

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rest — what's left
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pound — a weight
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stem — a stem cell

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