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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: foot · last · straw · spell · nail · mine · fall · bore

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fall — to drop
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. last — final
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — a short time
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fall — the season
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — magic
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — letters
  24. fall — to drop

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