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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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468
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: spell · nail · foot · prune · tube · pop · bore · face

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pop — music
  6. face — to confront
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — a container
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tube — the underground
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. face — part of the head
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pop — soda
  23. bore — to tire
  24. foot — a measure

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