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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 120 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: firm · hand · ground · bound · shower · club · saw · fork

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — the tool
  4. firm — decided
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. firm — a company
  14. club — a group
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. firm — steady
  22. saw — the tool
  23. shower — rain
  24. fork — a garden tool

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