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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: hide · nail · bulb · mine · saw · bat · pound · track

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. track — a song
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bat — in an idiom

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