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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.

Words on the sheet
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: wind · prune · chair · nail · bore · pop · wound · rash

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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. wound — an injury
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. rash — a series
  15. chair — a leader
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pop — soda
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — hasty
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wind — moving air

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