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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 116 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 · nail · rush · net · hand · bank · charge · last

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. charge — a price
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. last — final
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. hand — in cards
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — in control
  12. hand — help
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — finally
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. net — after costs
  18. bank — for money
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. last — to go on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. net — for catching
  24. charge — electricity

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