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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: coach · bore · current · nail · bowl · spring · date · race

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — to tire
  3. current — electric
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. current — of water
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. spring — of water
  11. race — a contest
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bore — to drill
  16. current — happening now
  17. race — the arms race
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. race — humankind
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spring — the season
  24. date — on the calendar

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