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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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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 · straw · pound · chest · fork · saw · bank · lie

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bank — for money
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. club — for golf
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — the tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — a group
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chest — a box
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lie — to recline
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pound — a weight
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bank — of a river

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