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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: wound · roll · spell · nail · prune · arm · rash · foot

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. foot — a measure
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wound — an injury
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. roll — a cake
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — a short time
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spell — letters
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. roll — a list

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