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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: row · file · pitcher · prune · capital · nail · stand · rest

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stand — to bear
  12. prune — to trim
  13. file — a document
  14. row — to paddle
  15. capital — money
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. file — a tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rest — a break
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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