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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: bass · club · bore · bear · wind · jam · land · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — moving air
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. club — for dancing
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. club — a group
  17. bear — the animal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. land — a country
  20. club — for golf
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bass — low music

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