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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 · last · hand · land · jam · cue · wind · arm

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — final
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. last — finally
  7. land — ground
  8. cue — a hint
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bank — of a river
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — help
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — to go on
  21. cue — a signal
  22. land — to come down
  23. cue — for pool
  24. jam — in traffic

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