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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: club · fall · bank · bound · ball · lean · stand · hand

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lean — thin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. club — for golf
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bank — for money
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bound — certain
  11. bank — for money
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bank — of a river
  14. club — a group
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stand — to bear
  18. hand — help
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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