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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 120 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: deal · nail · pop · club · bulb · court · rest · dip

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — of law
  9. club — for dancing
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bulb — for light
  13. club — for golf
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. court — of a king
  16. rest — a break
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — to sink

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