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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. club — a group
  5. bank — for money
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — of a river
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bank — for money
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. club — for dancing
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stand — to bear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — help
  20. club — for golf
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. nail — for a hammer

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