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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bank — for money
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — a division
  5. bank — for money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bank — of a river
  12. club — for dancing
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. club — a group
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fall — the season
  24. chip — for betting

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