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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: nail · rock · arm · pop · row · vault · prune · wound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rock — music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wound — an injury
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pop — to visit
  24. prune — to trim

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