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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: net · club · arm · hand · key · wound · fine · spring

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — a coil
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fine — all right
  11. club — for golf
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — the season
  14. hand — in cards
  15. net — after costs
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — of water
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — help
  22. net — in sport
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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