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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. land — a country
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. last — finally
  9. chest — a box
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. last — final
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mate — a friend
  19. land — to come down
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — to recline
  22. land — ground
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. last — to go on

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