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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: pit · land · club · row · nail · rock · stand · wound

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rock — a stone
  4. land — to come down
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — to paddle
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — a group
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — in a race
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — a country
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stand — to bear
  17. rock — music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. land — ground
  23. club — for golf
  24. nail — on a finger

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