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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 120 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: sharp · ball · tear · drill · mine · lean · leaves · nail

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — a practice
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mine — for digging
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. lean — thin
  18. drill — the tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. drill — army training
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. leaves — lets stay

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