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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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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: temple · net · lie · land · row · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — after costs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a line
  5. net — for catching
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — in sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. land — ground
  14. row — to paddle
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. lie — to recline

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