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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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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: bank · pound · plane · club · lash · hand · file · court

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — of law
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bank — of a river
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. court — of a king
  8. club — a group
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — for sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bank — for money
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. club — for golf
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — help
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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