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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: hide · nail · coach · saw · cue · wind · ground · hand

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hand — help
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — a hint
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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