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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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468
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: racket · cold · wave · bank · bass · nail · game · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bass — low music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. game — a match
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cold — an illness
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. firm — a company
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bass — the fish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bank — for money
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. game — wild animals
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bank — of a river
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. firm — decided

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