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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: net · kick · rush · nail · spell · bore · stand · mine

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. net — for catching
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spell — letters
  8. kick — in football
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mine — for digging
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mine — belonging to me

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