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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 120 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: club · field · key · hide · bank · trunk · staff · pound

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. key — in music
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bank — of a river
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bank — for money
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — the most important part
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. pound — a weight
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. trunk — of a tree

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