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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 120 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: swing · bank · staff · saw · lie · club · nail · prune

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. club — for golf
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bank — for money
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. club — a group
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bank — for money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bank — of a river

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