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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: bat · last · nail · dip · lean · pound · saw · bay

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lean — to bend
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. last — finally
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bat — the animal
  24. last — to go on

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