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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: spring · lie · scale · row · wound · prune · nail · chair

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. row — to paddle
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. scale — size or range
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spring — of water
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. row — a line
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chair — a leader
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spring — the season
  21. scale — in music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. scale — for weighing

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