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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — a group
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cue — a hint
  8. club — for dancing
  9. file — a document
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — after costs
  12. saw — the tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — in sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bank — of a river
  18. file — a tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cue — a signal
  21. club — for golf
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bank — for money

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