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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 · march · straw · club · mug · bat · present · bank

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bat — the animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. present — the time now
  11. club — for golf
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. march — music
  14. bank — of a river
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mug — a cup
  17. present — there
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mug — a face
  20. bank — for money
  21. present — a gift
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — for money
  24. club — a group

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