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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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468
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: bark · net · racket · scale · wind · club · straw · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — for catching
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. net — after costs
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. club — a group
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. straw — a straw man

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