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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: club · jam · nail · stock · drill · spring · squash · kick

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — goods
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stock — shares
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. spring — the season
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. squash — the sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — army training
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. club — a group
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. drill — a practice

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