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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: wound · plane · nail · mine · stock · calf · present · object

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. present — a gift
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. stock — goods
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. object — to protest
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — there
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. present — the time now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wound — an injury

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