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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: pop · key · hand · straw · net · hide · mug · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. bank — of a river
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pop — to visit
  4. net — after costs
  5. bank — for money
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mug — a face
  11. key — in music
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. net — for catching
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pop — soda
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bank — for money
  19. net — in sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. key — the most important part
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. hand — help
  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