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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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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: straw · saw · bound · mine · nail · net · coach · club

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. net — for catching
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bound — tied together
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bound — obliged
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. club — for dancing
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. club — for golf
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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