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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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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: object · cell · drill · prune · nail · kid · wind · leaves

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — a thing
  7. drill — a practice
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. object — an aim
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. kid — to tease
  12. object — to protest
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. drill — army training
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wind — moving air

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