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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. file — a document
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. hand — in cards
  5. band — a music group
  6. pass — a permit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. band — a ring
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. hand — help
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — of water
  17. file — a tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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