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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 124 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — for golf
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bank — of a river
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. club — a group
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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