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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · bark · bore · club · nail · game · staff · bulb

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bark — to shout
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bore — to tire
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — the season
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. game — a match
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. club — a group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — for dancing
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — for golf
  23. bore — to drill
  24. staff — employees

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