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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: dip · prune · chair · wound · roll · nail · fork · content

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chair — a leader
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — happy
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wound — an injury

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