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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 120 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. can — to be able to
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hand — in cards
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — help
  8. shower — rain
  9. club — for golf
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. club — for dancing
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bound — certain
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bank — for money
  19. scale — in music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

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