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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: pound · patient · club · net · scale · nail · can · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. can — to be able to
  3. club — for golf
  4. pound — a weight
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — in sport
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. club — for dancing
  10. can — a tin
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. net — after costs
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. game — a match
  20. can — a tin
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — for catching
  24. club — a group

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