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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.

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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: net · bay · leaves · last · wound · mug · nail · ground

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. ground — crushed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — a position
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — final
  24. net — after costs

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