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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 · stand · trunk · nail · spring · race · roll · spell

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. spring — of water
  3. spell — magic
  4. roll — a cake
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. race — humankind
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. race — the arms race
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — a contest
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spring — a coil
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — letters
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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