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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 · land · swing · temple · bound · root · cue · pound

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. root — of a plant
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. root — of a word
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. swing — in golf
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — to come down
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. root — the cause
  24. temple — a place of worship

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