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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: bank · game · tube · club · mate · can · nail · hand

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. can — to be able to
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — help
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — a match
  9. mate — a partner
  10. can — a tin
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — for dancing
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. club — for golf
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bank — for money
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tube — a container
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. club — a group
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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