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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: tear · mine · saw · staff · plane · band · nail · leaves

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mine — for digging
  6. staff — employees
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. staff — a stick

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