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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: cap · nail · field · arm · mine · fine · lean · foot

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. foot — a measure
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — thin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fine — all right
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mine — an explosive

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