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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: nail · club · stick · snap · firm · rest · branch · cold

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. firm — steady
  3. rest — a break
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cold — an illness
  10. snap — to click
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. firm — decided
  13. branch — a division
  14. club — for dancing
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. club — for golf
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. firm — a company
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. branch — of a bank

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