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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: nail · march · club · dip · kid · cabinet · bear · fine

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. club — for golf
  3. fine — all right
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — to tease
  7. march — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — high quality
  11. dip — to sink
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. kid — child
  24. club — a group

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