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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.

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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: leaves · plane · cell · bore · nail · wound · last · net

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. net — after costs
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — for catching
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — in sport

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