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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: rush · land · nail · saw · pitch · trunk · cold · pound

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — completely
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cold — an illness
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. land — a country
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pound — a weight
  15. land — to come down
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cold — not warm
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — a sports field

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