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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: nail · roll · mine · trunk · mate · lie · leaves · pitcher

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mate — a partner
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. roll — a list
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mine — for digging
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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