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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 · file · nail · cabinet · bear · fall · rock · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — the season
  5. file — a tool
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spring — a coil
  18. club — for golf
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. club — a group
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rock — to move gently

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