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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: ball · rest · nail · lean · jam · hand · root · mine

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lean — to bend
  5. root — the cause
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — help
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. root — of a word
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. root — of a plant
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rest — a break
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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