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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · stand · land · spring · hand · nail · rest · foot

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. land — to come down
  5. rest — what's left
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rest — what's left
  8. land — a country
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. hand — help
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stand — to bear
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rest — a break
  20. kick — in football
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — of water

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