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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: stem · degree · wound · nail · hand · land · bore · pass

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. degree — an amount
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bore — to drill
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. degree — temperature
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. land — a country
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bore — to tire

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