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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 116 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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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: wake · nail · game · court · tube · pop · snap · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pop — to visit
  4. game — wild animals
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. game — a match
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tube — a container
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pop — soda
  20. snap — to click
  21. bank — of a river
  22. court — of a king
  23. pop — music
  24. bank — for money

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