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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · mug · straw · scale · nail · net · club · current

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mug — a face
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — happening now
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. scale — in music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. club — a group
  11. mug — to rob
  12. current — of water
  13. net — for catching
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. current — electric
  16. net — in sport
  17. club — for golf
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mug — a cup
  21. scale — size or range
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. net — after costs

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