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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 120 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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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 · fall · coach · foot · mark · ground · tear · kick

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — a position
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fall — the season
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mark — a grade
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kick — in football
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kick — a thrill

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