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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 120 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: prune · last · net · calf · stock · saw · can · nail

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. net — in sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — final
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — to be able to
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. last — to go on
  16. net — for catching
  17. last — finally
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — after costs
  24. nail — for a hammer

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