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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 · straw · fine · craft · content · row · bore · club

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. club — a group
  3. fine — high quality
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bore — to drill
  6. club — for dancing
  7. craft — boats
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fine — all right
  13. content — the amount
  14. bore — to tire
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. content — happy
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. row — a line
  22. club — for golf
  23. row — to paddle
  24. craft — a skill

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