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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: nail · rash · band · fan · drill · rule · mouse · spring

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spring — the season
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — army training
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rule — government
  19. band — a ring
  20. rule — a law
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. band — a music group
  24. mouse — for a computer

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