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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. key — for a lock
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mine — for digging
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bass — the fish
  20. branch — a division
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. key — in music

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