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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spring — the season
  3. club — for golf
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — to breed
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spring — a coil
  12. club — for dancing
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mate — a friend
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. spring — of water

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