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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · club · fine · sharp · prune · key · bass · arm

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fine — all right
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. club — a group
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. key — in music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. key — the most important part
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bass — low music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bass — the fish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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