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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: hand · pop · bulb · bank · row · bat · club · wake

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pop — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bank — for money
  7. club — for golf
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pop — soda
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. row — a line
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bat — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bank — for money
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — help
  24. club — for dancing

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