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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: nail · land · club · spell · kid · stem · date · bay

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stem — to come from
  7. land — ground
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kid — child
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. land — a country
  19. club — a group
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. land — to come down
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. club — for golf

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