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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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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: club · fork · cue · bat · bank · mine · swing · straw

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bank — for money
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bank — for money
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. swing — music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. club — a group
  17. swing — in golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cue — a hint
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. club — for golf
  24. swing — to play on

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