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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: nail · can · degree · land · dip · track · march · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. degree — from a university
  3. land — to come down
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. land — ground
  6. track — to keep track
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — a country
  11. dip — to sink
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. track — a path
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. track — a song
  21. mine — for digging
  22. degree — temperature
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — belonging to me

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