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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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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: craft · band · racket · nail · drill · key · fall · toast

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. drill — the tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. toast — bread
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. key — the most important part
  11. band — a ring
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. drill — army training
  18. band — a music group
  19. fall — to drop
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. craft — boats
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. key — in music

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