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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: nail · firm · pitcher · foot · date · field · prune · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lie — to recline
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. firm — a company
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. firm — decided
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. date — the fruit
  20. firm — steady
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. field — farmland

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