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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: stick · board · foot · land · lie · cap · mine · prune

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cap — a lid
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. board — a committee
  13. land — ground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cap — a hat
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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