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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · prune · nail · capital · drill · pit · bound · cold

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bass — the fish
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — money
  13. drill — army training
  14. bound — certain
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bass — low music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — a hole
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — the instrument

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