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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: court · spring · safe · club · nail · tube · bass · chest

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spring — of water
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. court — of law
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tube — a container
  11. chest — a box
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tube — the underground
  14. club — for golf
  15. spring — the season
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — for sport

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