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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: game · bank · wind · swing · racket · nail · staff · fall

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. swing — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bank — of a river
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a match
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — in golf
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — for money
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. swing — to play on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bank — for money

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