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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: game · roll · object · lash · track · spring · nail · jam

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — the season
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. roll — a list
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a path
  10. spring — of water
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — a thing
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spring — a coil
  18. game — wild animals
  19. object — an aim
  20. game — a match
  21. track — a song
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. jam — in traffic
  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