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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: bowl · stand · saw · club · straw · land · net · cap

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cap — a lid
  5. club — for dancing
  6. net — in sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cap — of ice
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. club — for golf
  14. stand — to bear
  15. net — for catching
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. land — ground
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. net — after costs
  23. land — to come down
  24. saw — the tool

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