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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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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 · court · row · nail · arm · cold · cabinet · staff

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. staff — employees
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. court — for sport
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — not warm
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — to paddle
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bank — for money
  23. row — a line
  24. cabinet — ministers

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