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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: land · mine · game · firm · ruler · spring · nail · wave

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — to come down
  5. spring — a coil
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — a match
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — a country
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. land — ground
  18. firm — steady
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spring — the season
  24. wave — with your hand

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