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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 116 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 · rash · field · lean · drill · nail · wound · bowl

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. club — a group
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. field — a subject
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. club — for dancing
  10. field — farmland
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. field — for sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rash — a series
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lean — thin
  21. club — for golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rash — hasty

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