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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bank — of a river
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. capital — a city
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bank — for money
  8. capital — money
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pop — soda
  12. club — for golf
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. net — after costs
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — for catching
  20. pop — music
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — for dancing
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pop — to visit

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