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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: bass · spring · spell · kid · nail · bank · saw · press

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — the season
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kid — child
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. bank — for money
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bank — of a river
  19. press — to push
  20. bass — low music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — of water
  23. spell — magic
  24. saw — the tool

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