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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: mark · mine · arm · pound · key · wind · nail · sharp

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. key — in music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. key — for a lock
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pound — a weight
  24. key — the most important part

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