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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: chest · kid · bank · club · suit · last · saw · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. club — a group
  3. kid — child
  4. club — for golf
  5. bank — for money
  6. suit — clothes
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. club — for dancing
  9. suit — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bank — for money
  12. fork — in a road
  13. last — finally
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. last — final
  16. kid — to tease
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — to fit
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — to go on
  23. chest — of your body
  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