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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: board · net · sharp · prune · bank · nail · land · straw

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. board — a committee
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — for catching
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — of a river
  11. board — to get on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — ground
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. land — to come down
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — after costs

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