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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · kid · key · land · lie · wound · mate · stock

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. 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. mate — a friend
  2. land — to come down
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. key — the most important part
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stock — shares
  13. kid — to tease
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. key — in music
  20. stock — goods
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. 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