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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · row · nail · spring · ground · shower · craft · field

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — of water
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — rain
  5. field — for sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. field — farmland
  8. ground — a position
  9. drill — army training
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ground — crushed
  15. craft — boats
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — the season
  18. row — a line
  19. shower — to wash
  20. row — to paddle
  21. drill — the tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. craft — a skill
  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