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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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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: root · nail · band · hand · wake · club · racket · mark

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. band — a ring
  3. mark — a grade
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a music group
  12. club — a group
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. root — of a word
  23. club — for golf
  24. hand — in cards

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