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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 116 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: spring · hand · saw · nail · deal · lean · band · cabinet

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a music group
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — thin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spring — of water
  18. deal — to handle
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  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