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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: mine · wound · rock · foot · land · track · lie · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mine — for digging
  4. track — to keep track
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rock — music
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — a country
  16. track — a song
  17. land — ground
  18. track — a path
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. land — to come down
  21. rock — a stone
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rock — to move gently

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