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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: key · wound · squash · firm · hand · bank · bass · spring

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — low music
  5. squash — to crush
  6. firm — steady
  7. bank — for money
  8. key — in music
  9. spring — the season
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — a coil
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. key — for a lock
  16. firm — decided
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. key — the most important part
  22. squash — the sport
  23. firm — a company
  24. spring — of water

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