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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: bore · last · swing · pitcher · field · prune · bowl · nail

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — music
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. swing — in golf
  9. field — for sport
  10. bore — to tire
  11. field — farmland
  12. last — to go on
  13. field — a subject
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. last — final
  19. bore — to drill
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — finally
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bowl — a dish

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