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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: mouse · nail · spring · kid · tube · spell · game · club

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spell — magic
  8. kid — child
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tube — a container
  13. club — for golf
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. kid — to tease
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spell — letters
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. club — a group
  24. spell — a short time

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