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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 · mine · bank · sharp · bass · straw · bark · dip

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bark — to shout
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — the fish
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. club — for golf
  20. bank — for money
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mine — an explosive

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