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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — for digging
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a music group
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. band — a ring
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. last — to go on
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. last — finally
  21. bass — the fish
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. hand — in cards
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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