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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: race · season · leaves · nail · saw · drill · ground · spring

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — the earth
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. drill — a practice
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. season — in sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. season — of the year
  18. ground — a position
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. race — humankind
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. race — a contest

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