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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: roll · nail · bat · root · bowl · mine · club · lash

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — the animal
  3. root — of a word
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. roll — a cake
  8. root — of a plant
  9. club — for golf
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. roll — a list
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. club — a group
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. root — the cause
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. roll — on a roll

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