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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 120 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: wind · nail · cabinet · saw · club · wound · rush · hand

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hand — in cards
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — a group
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. club — for golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wind — to turn a key

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