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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 · can · tear · kick · swing · wake · last · land

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. last — final
  5. land — a country
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tear — to rip
  11. last — to go on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — a trail
  23. last — finally
  24. swing — music

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