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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: mine · nail · kid · band · plane · row · wound · lash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. band — a music group
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a ring
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — child
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — to paddle
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. row — a line

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