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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: nail · wind · court · spring · fan · hand · key · bowl

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. spring — of water
  4. court — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — help
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — the season
  12. court — of a king
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — of law
  23. hand — in cards
  24. nail — for a hammer

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