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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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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 · field · row · spring · pit · nail · shower · last

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — of water
  4. field — farmland
  5. club — for golf
  6. pit — a hole
  7. last — to go on
  8. spring — a coil
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. shower — to wash
  13. club — for dancing
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. field — a subject
  16. spring — the season
  17. pit — in a race
  18. last — finally
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. field — for sport
  22. last — final
  23. shower — rain
  24. row — a line

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