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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: track · spring · pop · cue · row · ground · last · nail

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. last — final
  3. track — a path
  4. spring — the season
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. spring — a coil
  8. track — to keep track
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — music
  14. ground — a position
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cue — for pool
  17. track — a song
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. row — a quarrel

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