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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 120 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: club · patient · nail · saw · wake · spring · suit · track

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. club — a group
  4. spring — a coil
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. club — for dancing
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — to keep track
  12. suit — to fit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. suit — clothes
  16. track — a song
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spring — of water
  19. track — a path
  20. suit — in cards
  21. club — for golf
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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