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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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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: kick · wake · saw · mine · cap · arm · root · nail

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cap — a hat
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kick — in football
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wake — a trail

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