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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 120 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: bowl · rock · mine · nail · staff · bay · wound · tear

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rock — a stone
  24. staff — employees

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