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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: hand · ground · pitcher · rash · mouse · nail · spring · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — of water
  15. ground — the earth
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. club — a group
  19. rash — a series
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. spring — a coil
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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