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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: mark · spring · mine · rash · nail · bound · kick · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — certain
  6. spring — the season
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kick — in football
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mark — a grade

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