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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 · mine · track · wound · drill · calf · current · stand

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — a song
  5. stand — to bear
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. current — happening now
  16. drill — a practice
  17. current — of water
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. current — electric
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. track — a path

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