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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. hand — in cards
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — low music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. net — after costs
  16. bass — the fish
  17. net — for catching
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pitcher — a jug

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