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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 · fine · pound · cabinet · perch · nail · object · fall

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. object — a thing
  9. perch — the fish
  10. land — ground
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fine — all right
  14. object — an aim
  15. land — a country
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pound — a weight
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. land — to come down
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. perch — for a bird

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