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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: nail · club · pitcher · racket · patient · file · jam · spring

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for dancing
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — of water
  16. file — a tool
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spring — the season
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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