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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 · rock · spring · tear · mug · fan · race · content

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. content — the amount
  4. mug — a face
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — of water
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — a stone
  17. race — humankind
  18. mug — to rob
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mug — a cup

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