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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: dip · spring · track · nail · land · shower · deal · ball

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. shower — rain
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. track — to keep track
  6. land — to come down
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. track — a song
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. land — ground
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ball — a great time
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. deal — to handle
  17. ball — a dance
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — of water
  20. land — a country
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. spring — the season
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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