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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: scale · clip · fall · fork · land · nail · lie · safe

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fall — to drop
  8. clip — for paper
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — ground
  12. fall — the season
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. scale — in music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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