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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 120 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: tear · mine · patient · fork · nail · foot · plane · lean

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lean — thin
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. foot — a measure
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. fork — in a road
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — from crying
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lean — to bend

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