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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bank — for money
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ground — the earth
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — in biology
  20. ground — a position
  21. bank — for money
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wake — a trail

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