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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: track · nail · straw · spring · pound · mug · leaves · face

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mug — a face
  7. face — to confront
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spring — the season
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — of water
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. track — a song
  17. mug — to rob
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. nail — for a hammer

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