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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: rock · wind · drill · stock · track · ground · nail · lie

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. track — a path
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lie — to recline
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rock — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. track — a song
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stock — shares
  19. drill — army training
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stock — goods
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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