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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wake · kid · trunk · ground · scale · mate · nail

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mine — for digging
  15. scale — in music
  16. kid — child
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ground — the earth
  19. kid — to tease
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  24. trunk — of a tree

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