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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: net · bank · rash · hand · pop · key · rock · mine

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rash — a series
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mine — for digging
  5. hand — in cards
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. key — in music
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rock — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pop — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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