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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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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 · saw · nail · lean · club · net · cap · roll

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — in sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. net — after costs
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. club — a group
  11. mine — for digging
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — a cake
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. roll — a list
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lean — to bend

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