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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · stick · foot · spring · wound · land · nail · temple

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. land — ground
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a music group
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — a country
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. land — to come down
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — of water
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a rubber band

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