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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 116 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
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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: mine · row · drill · land · stock · fine · key · leaves

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. drill — the tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — army training
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stock — goods
  11. fine — high quality
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — all right
  14. row — a line
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. key — for a lock
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. row — to paddle
  22. key — in music
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — a country

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