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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: nail · shower · squash · bank · chip · saw · key · pound

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. squash — the sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chip — to eat
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bank — of a river
  12. shower — rain
  13. bank — for money
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. key — in music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. saw — the tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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