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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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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: nail · temple · jam · bowl · club · prune · wind · rule

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rule — government
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rule — a law
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — to rule out

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