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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 116 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: wind · ground · mine · drill · cue · pop · nail · bay

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ground — a position
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pop — music
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cue — a signal
  16. drill — army training
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wind — to turn a key

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