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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bass — low music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bank — for money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bank — of a river
  12. craft — boats
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — for digging
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. craft — a skill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bass — the fish

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