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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: club · pound · mug · sharp · last · current · wind · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. club — for golf
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — to rob
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. last — to go on
  17. mug — a face
  18. current — happening now
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mug — a cup
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — a group
  24. pound — to hit hard

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