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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: lie · can · file · spring · scale · nail · wake · stick

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — of water
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. can — to be able to
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. file — a line of people
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. can — a tin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. can — a tin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. file — a document
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — a trail

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