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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: ground · mine · nail · lean · spell · mark · prune · foot

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — to trim
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — letters
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. lean — thin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — a short time
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mark — a trace
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — for digging

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