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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: nail · bore · capital · mine · mug · leaves · lie · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. capital — a city
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mug — a face
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bore — to drill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mine — for digging
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. capital — money

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