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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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: court · bank · bass · hand · mouse · ball · cabinet · wind

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. court — of law
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bass — low music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bank — of a river
  20. court — of a king
  21. bank — for money
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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