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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: mine · pop · sharp · wind · mate · straw · racket · bank

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pop — soda
  10. mine — for digging
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mate — a partner
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pop — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — for tennis

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