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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: race · object · trunk · land · mine · lie · nail · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. object — to protest
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. sharp — clever
  5. object — a thing
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — to recline
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. land — a country
  12. object — an aim
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. land — to come down
  15. race — humankind
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — a contest
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. land — ground
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mine — for digging

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