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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: mouse · club · fan · sharp · root · spring · nail · date

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. club — for golf
  4. spring — of water
  5. club — a group
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — clever
  8. date — the fruit
  9. root — the cause
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. club — for dancing
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. root — of a word
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — a coil

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