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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: spring · kick · nail · safe · ground · chest · wave · club

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spring — the season
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ground — crushed
  8. club — for dancing
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ground — a position
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for golf
  17. chest — a box
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. club — a group

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