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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · bass · rest · bowl · wind · court · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — for sport
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spring — a coil
  9. court — of law
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — low music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. branch — a division
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spring — of water
  24. nail — for a hammer

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