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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: nail · land · rule · current · foot · coach · spell · net

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. land — ground
  3. current — of water
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. net — for catching
  6. land — to come down
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rule — government
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — letters
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. net — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — after costs
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rule — a law
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rule — to rule out
  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