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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: mine · spring · nail · track · rest · kick · file · vault

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. kick — in football
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — to keep track
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a document
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rest — what's left

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