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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.

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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: nail · fork · mouse · kid · staff · land · lean · mine

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fork — in a road
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. staff — employees

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