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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: spring · game · tube · net · lie · wound · nail · bore

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — after costs
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. spring — of water
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lie — to recline
  11. net — for catching
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — the season
  15. tube — a container
  16. net — in sport
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bore — to tire
  24. tube — the underground

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