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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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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 · last · ball · wound · bound · row · hand · club

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — finally
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — a group
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — a line
  15. club — for golf
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bound — tied together
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bound — certain
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hand — help
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. last — to go on

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