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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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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: cue · season · bowl · bank · hand · bass · row · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — of the year
  4. bass — low music
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — a signal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hand — help
  16. season — in sport
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bank — of a river
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. season — to add flavour

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