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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: cabinet · club · perch · roll · last · spring · fall · nail

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. last — finally
  3. fall — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. last — final
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — a coil
  14. roll — a cake
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. club — a group
  18. spring — of water
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — to go on
  21. club — for golf
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — the season
  24. roll — a list

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