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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 120 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: pop · spring · rash · branch · nail · mug · game · cabinet

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pop — to visit
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — the season
  10. pop — soda
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — of water
  13. pop — music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rash — a series
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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