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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: land · nail · net · field · straw · lash · lie · lean

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. lie — to recline
  6. land — ground
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. field — a subject
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lean — thin
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — a country
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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