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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: prune · coach · tear · nail · sharp · drill · cue · calf

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cue — a signal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — clever
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cue — a hint
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cue — for pool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. nail — on a finger
  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