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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: nail · spring · mine · swing · drill · craft · bowl · pitcher

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — the season
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. drill — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spring — of water
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spring — a coil
  21. drill — army training
  22. mine — for digging
  23. swing — music
  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