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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: sharp · cold · pitcher · prune · cabinet · bore · arm · nail

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bore — to drill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bore — to tire
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. prune — to trim

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